February 19, 2015
Article about K2 in magazine Integrative Medicine
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President of the ISHF, dr Katarzyna Maresz is the author of the article “Proper Calcium Use: Vitamin K2 as a Promoter of Bone and Cardiovascular Health” published in the journal Integrative medicine. Below we present an abstract and a link to the entire text.
Abstract
Inadequate calcium intake can lead to decreased bone mineral density, which can increase the risk of bone fractures. Supplemental calcium promotes bone mineral density and strength and can prevent osteoporosis. Recent scientific evidence, however, suggests that elevated consumption of calcium supplements may raise the risk for heart disease and can be connected with accelerated deposit of calcium in blood-vessel walls and soft tissues.
In contrast, vitamin K2 is associated with the inhibition of arterial calcification and arterial stiffening. An adequate intake of vitamin K2 has been shown to lower the risk of vascular damage because it activates matrix GLA protein (MGP), which inhibits the deposits of calcium on the walls.
Vitamin K, particularly as vitamin K2, is nearly nonexistent in junk food, with little being consumed even in a healthy Western diet. Vitamin K deficiency results in inadequate activation of MGP, which greatly impairs the process of calcium removal and increases the risk of calcification of the blood vessels. An increased intake of vitamin K2 could be a means of lowering calcium-associated health risks.
February 14, 2015
IMCJ Publishes Vitamin K2 Article by Dr. Katarzyna Maresz
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The International Science and Health Foundation, an independent scientific community whose activities are intended to foster a healthy point of view that benefits society, proudly announces that Integrative Medicine: A Clinician’s Journal (IMCJ) has published an article by Foundation President Katarzyna Maresz, PhD, in the February/March 2015 issue.
Launched as a peer-reviewed journal in 2002, IMCJ provides practitioners with a practical and comprehensive approach to integrating alternative therapies with conventional medicine. The journal is published 6 times per year under the leadership of Joseph Pizzorno, ND, editor in chief, a cofounder and former president of Bastyr University.
With her article, “Proper Calcium Use: Vitamin K2 as a Promoter of Bone and Cardiovascular Health,” Dr. Maresz sought to give the journal’s practitioner readers a clear overview of the most pertinent studies and latest scientific evidence confirming Vitamin K’s bone and heart benefits. By highlighting some of the recent concerns brought to light regarding calcium and cardiovascular risk, Dr. Maresz also illuminated the importance of calcium and how Vitamin K2, through its activation of K-dependent proteins osteocalcin and matrix Gla protein (MGP), ensures calcium is properly utilized by the body – binding it to the bone mineral matrix and inhibiting it from depositing in the arteries and blood vessels, respectively.
“I was truly honored to have an opportunity to address IMCJ’s esteemed readers. This is an audience of learned professionals eager to enhance their knowledge so they can marry complementary and allopathic medicine,” says Dr. Maresz. “As we have tried to convey with VitaminK2.org, we at the Foundation believe that Vitamin K2 is an essential nutrient in the pursuit of bone and cardiovascular health, for men and women, young and old. If I could assist just one clinician in achieving a firmer understanding of this amazing tool at their disposal so they can better server their patients, then I consider my contribution a success.”
Reference:
Maresz K. Proper Calcium Use: Vitamin K2 as a Promoter of Bone and Cardiovascular Health. IMCJ. Vol. 14, No. 1. Feb 2015.